Functionality
First, you need to take care of any elements that are unsafe or things that aren’t working. These issues absolutely have to be taken care of. Getting these things done as quickly as possible is important. Take care of them before a tenant moves in.
Make Cosmetic Repairs
Take a look at the paint and at least do a touch up. Painting the trim can help your unit pop. Think about using a color other than white, especially if you have white trim. This will attract a better tenant who cares about nicer finishes.
Professional Photos
When you show your property and take pictures for your advertising, or you’re capturing a video for a video tour, make sure everything is absolutely clean and ready to go. All appliances should be in place and everything should be fixed. Make sure the lighting is good. Use a DSLR or a high end camera with a great lens. The photos will reflect that you are professional as a landlord. It shows how seriously you take this. It also reflects the quality of the rental and the rental experience. It sets the expectation for the relationship between the tenant, landlord, and property. If pictures show a dirty house or the pictures are blurry or dark, that’s the kind of tenant you’ll attract. You set those expectation on how the property will be kept. Hire a photographer if this isn’t in your wheelhouse. Don’t take pictures or videos when there are a lot of possessions in the home. Empty space is better.
Show a Vacant Property
Show the property while it is vacant whenever you can. Sometimes this doesn’t make sense, especially if you want to have a shorter turnover and vacancy period. If you do have a really great tenant who is clean, you can show it while a tenant is in place. Make sure you are there with the prospective tenants, because it’s common courtesy and affects your liability. Walk through and minimize the disruption to your current tenant.
Be Available to Prospects
Make sure that you are free to show the property when tenants want to see it. People will want to see the property after work in the evenings or on the weekends. You need to be available, even if it’s short notice because you never know; the right tenant could be out there. Take calls and respond quickly. People who are calling are talking to other landlords. Sometimes the first person who responds wins.
Stagger Your Leases
If you have a larger portfolio and you’re doing this on your own, consider staggering your leases so you aren’t doing all of your turnovers and showings at once. This is especially important if you have a full time job or family responsibilities. If you have 10 properties and they all expire in June but you want to take your family on vacation, you’ll have a logistical nightmare. When you work with a property management company, this is not a big deal at all.
These are a few tips for getting your property ready to rent. If you have any questions about renting out a home in the Charlotte area, please contact us at Sunnon Property Management. We’d like to show you a brighter life through real estate.
